India captain Araijeet Singh confident of podium finish at FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023

The tournament will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from December 5 to December 16.

The Indian junior men’s hockey team forward, Araijeet Singh Hundal, believes his side has a strong chance to earn a podium finish at the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023. The tournament is set to take place between December 5 and 16th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Araijeet will serve as captain Uttam Singh’s deputy for the tournament, which will see a total of 16 teams competing for the prestigious trophy.

India is placed in Pool C alongside Canada, Korea, and Spain, and will kick off their campaign against Korea on December 5. The defending champions, Argentina, along with Australia, Chile, and Malaysia, form Pool A. Egypt, France, Germany, and South Africa have been placed in Pool B, while Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Pakistan are grouped together in Pool D.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Araijeet said, “We have prepared well as a team at the camp and have focused on several key areas of our game. As the tournament approaches, all the players and the support staff are becoming even more determined to ensure we deliver a good performance. We are working on important technical areas where we can improve, and we aim to finish with a medal.”

Araijeet is among the seven players in the 18-man Indian squad for the tournament who also represented India at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021. Alongside Uttam Singh, Boby Singh Dhami, Sudeep Chirmako, Vishnukant Singh, Sunil JoJo, and Sharda Nand Tiwari, India finished fourth in the tournament after losing 1-3 against France in the 3rd/4th place match.

Arajieet says that he has learned a lot over the past couple of years, and the team is feeling confident ahead of the upcoming tournament.

“Since the previous Junior World Cup, we have learned that we should not take any team lightly, and we must give 100 percent against all teams. We have to keep pushing ourselves until the final whistle. Over the past couple of years, we have learned how to handle pressure on the big stage. Participating in 3-4 major tournaments has really boosted our confidence.

“We’ve also gained insights into how other teams play and identified slight adjustments and tweaks to improve our chances in a match. Our fitness levels have also improved, and we have grown a lot as a team,” Araijeet said.

“Also, the young players who will be playing their first Junior World Cup are constantly seeking advice from us. We are helping them in any way we can, guiding them on how to deal with pressure,” he further added.

Araijeet, originally from Amritsar, Punjab, developed an interest in hockey at a young age after watching his father play. “Everyone in my family played hockey, including my grandfather, father, and uncles. My father used to go to games, and as a kid, I would accompany him. From then on, my interest grew. My father had a dream to represent India, and now I am carrying forward this dream for him,” he said.

Araijeet began playing hockey professionally around 8 years ago. In 2016, he received a chance to play his first Junior Nationals for Punjab & Sind Bank. After consistent performances, Araijeet received a call for the Junior Men’s National Camp in 2019, but the pandemic halted his dreams of representing India for a year.

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“During the lockdown, our coaches shared programs so that we could continue to train and maintain our fitness at home. We followed it for several months before we were called back to SAI. At SAI, we were again placed under a strict bubble. We had to maintain all necessary Covid protocols to train,” Araijeet recalled.

In 2021, Araijeet finally made his debut for the Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, scoring 5 goals in 6 games. Since then, Araijeet has earned 22 caps for the team and scored 17 goals. He also competed in the Senior Nationals in 2021 and 2022 while pursuing his studies alongside the sport.

“I’ve had several highlights during my career in such a short time. But winning the Junior Men’s Asia Cup Trophy, after beating Pakistan 2-1 in a closely-contested Final, has been the best moment of my career so far. I also scored a crucial goal in the match, which was a memorable moment for me,” he said.

“Now, we hope to repeat a similar performance in Kuala Lumpur. We aim to minimize our errors and capitalize on our strengths in the tournament. We are all ready to roar and make the nation proud by winning a medal at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023,” Araijeet signed off.

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